our home, and enjoy the blessings of peace in each other's society. Alas! if wishes could only make us happy, there would be but little misery in this world of ours. Neither Captain De Caulp nor myself, as we stood up that day, and pronounced the words that made us man and wife, had any but pleasant anticipations for the future, and little imagined how brief a time we would be permitted to be together.
I was very desirous of resuming my uniform, and of accompanying my husband to the field. I wanted to go through the war with him, and to fight by his side, just as I had done at Shiloh. He, however, was bitterly opposed to this; and, with my ample knowledge of army life, I could not but admit the full force of his objections. He contended, that, apart from everything else, I had served my country long enough as a soldier, and that I was under some obligation now to think of him as well as of myself, and no longer to peril life, health, and reputation by exposing myself, as I had been doing. He said that he would fight twice as hard as before, and that would answer for both of us, although he was not sure but that what I had done ought to count in his favor, as man and wife were one, and procure him a release from further service.
I very reluctantly yielded an assent to his wishes, although, if I could have looked a little into the future, I either would have prevented his going to the front at all, or else would have insisted upon going with him. Indeed, he ought not to have gone when he did; but he knew that the services of every man were needed, and so soon as he was at all able to be on duty, he felt as if he was shirking his share of the work by remaining at the rear when so much hard fighting was going on.
Our honeymoon was a very brief one. In about a week he thought himself well enough to report for duty ; and he insisted upon going, notwithstanding my entreaties for him to remain until his health was more robust. Had he been really fit to endure the exposure and toil of campaigning, I would never have offered to stay him by a word ; for my patriotism, although perhaps not of so fiery a nature, was as intense now as it was when I besought my first husband to permit me to accompany him to the field; and I considered it the duty of every man, who was at all able to take a hand in the great work of resisting the advance of the enemy, to do so. But Captain De Caulp, I knew, was far from being the strong man he once was,
